Coast Southwest, Inc., an ICIS Top 100 Chemical Distributor and manufacturer of chemical ingredients, announces that it has joined Coalition For Affordable Ingredients (CAI), a growing alliance of American manufacturers, farmers, and downstream producers opposing trade petitions filed by Vantage Specialty Chemicals, an Illinois-based beef producer of beef tallow-derived oleochemicals.
The petitions target vegetable-based fatty acid imports from Indonesia and Malaysia. These are critical ingredients behind the shampoos, conditioners, skin care, and anti-aging products that personal care brands formulate every day. Nearly any product certified vegan, kosher, or cruelty-free likely relies on the fatty acids at the center of this case.
By joining CAI, Coast Southwest adds the voice of the personal care supply chain, and the workers and consumers who depend on it, to a coalition that already spans chemical manufacturers, food and dairy producers, and household cleaning suppliers.
The Vantage Specialty Chemicals petitions seek proposed duties ranging from roughly 70 percent to more than 90 percent. The U.S. Department of Commerce has already imposed a 16.5 percent duty on these imports as a result of the case, with additional duties expected in the coming months.
The targeted ingredients cannot be sourced domestically at the scale, nor under the certifications that customers require. Domestic tallow-based production does not meet certifications currently, and it can take a year or more to secure those certifications.
“Coast Southwest has been in business for more than 40 years, and today we employ roughly 110 Americans across 11 states,” said Joseph C. Cimo, President of Coast Southwest. “The vegan, kosher, and cruelty-free ingredients our customers demand are made from plant-based fatty acids that we cannot source at the scale or certification standards they require here at home. One company’s petition threatens to raise costs on the everyday products families count on and put jobs like ours at risk. That is why Coast Southwest stands with the Coalition For Affordable Ingredients.”
About Coast Southwest
Coast Southwest is on a mission to revolutionize distribution in the chemical industry. With a broad catalog of superior ingredients, and a passion for discovering the latest ingredient technology, we deliver the materials that help personal care businesses thrive. Our collaborative approach uniquely positions us to provide unparalleled value to our customers. https://www.coastsouthwest.com/
About the Coalition for Affordable Ingredients
The Coalition for Affordable Ingredients (CAI) is an alliance of American manufacturers, farmers, and downstream producers that depend on imported vegetable-based fatty acids to make everyday consumer products. CAI opposes the antidumping and countervailing duty petitions filed against fatty acid imports from Indonesia and Malaysia and advocates for affordable, reliable access to the certified ingredients American industry requires. Learn more at www.affordableingredients.org.
